Sevilla FC 4 - 0 Karpaty Lviv

Posted Friday, November 05, 2010 by ESPN

Spaniards move top

Sevilla FC 4 - 0 Karpaty Lviv
Sevilla's midfielder Alejandro Alfaro celebrates (2ndR) with teammates after scoring against FC Karpaty during their Europa League football match

Sevilla powered their way to the top of Europa League Group J after thrashing Karpaty Lviv 4-0.
The Ukranians' already slim hopes of reaching the knockout stages are now over after they crashed to their fourth successive defeat.

Sevilla, the 2006 and 2007 UEFA Cup winners, were thrashed 5-0 by Barcelona in La Liga at the weekend - the Andalusian club's heaviest defeat in almost five years - but they took their frustrations out on hapless Karpaty at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Two goals from Alejandro Alfaro and a brilliant Luca Cigarini free-kick put Sevilla 3-0 up at half-time and Spain striker Alvaro Negredo completed the scoring six minutes into the second half.

Sevilla, who could have been celebrating an even bigger win, now lead the group on nine points, one above Paris St Germain and four clear of third-placed Borussia Dortmund.

Gregorio Manzano's men were on top almost from the start against Ukrainians Karpaty and Negredo should have had the hosts ahead in the seventh minute but he contrived to head wide from six yards out.

Negredo made amends two minutes later, though, as he stole possession inside the Karpaty area before lifting a cross to the far post, where Alfaro had the fairly easy task of heading into the roof of the net.

Diego Capel was denied by a fine save by Karpaty goalkeeper Andriy Tlumak before Sevilla doubled their lead on the half-hour mark through Cigarini, who curled a superb free-kick from the left edge of the area over the wall and into the top corner.

Sevilla's third goal in the 43rd minute saw Negredo and Alfaro both involved again. Negredo was unlucky to see his 20-yard effort come back off the crossbar but Alfaro was on hand to head in the rebound with Tlumak stranded.

The Spaniards almost added a fourth goal before the break but Tlumak once again denied Capel.

Tlumak also did superbly to parry Jose Carlos Fernandez`s shot in the 51st minute, but it still led to Sevilla making it 4-0 as the ball ran to Negredo, who slammed his shot into the unguarded net off the inside of the post.

Negredo had a chance to make it 5-0 two minutes later but he could not find a way past Tlumak on that occasion.

Sevilla continued to create chances as the match wore on, but there would be no further change to the scoreline, although Karpaty almost grabbed themselves a consolation goal in injury time when Artem Fedetskiy struck the crossbar.